A Living Nightmare
by Dinosawrhat
Summary: Mr. Crepsley's point of view of the first Cirque du Freak book. Rated T just to be safe. Most of the dialog is taken straight from the book, but I DO NOT OWN THE BOOK. Reviews are welcome, flames will be used to roast marshmallows.
1. Prologue

**Okay, so this is just the prologue (obviously), but I'll be putting up the next chapters today because I have them all written out and stuff. Yeah...**

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A Living Nightmare

Prologue

The Cirque had moved on to a new place. We were situated in an old abandoned house on the edge of a town. The Cirque had been on the road for quite awhile now and took some time to rest. After three days had passed, we started handing out fliers to people in the town. I handed one out to a college age boy who was very drunk. I did not think he would remember it in the morning but I did not put much thought to that.

The show was normally the same line up every time. We hardly ever changed the order we went on. Only sometimes, when members were on vacation, or were new to the Cirque. Most times it is just the same people, but we get a new addition every once in a while.

How easily amused humans are! They clapped extremely loud after Madam Octa and I went on. Many left that first time. Not as much the second time, though. We were to perform the 17, 18, and 19 of this month. October. The air was warm but crisp. The city wasn't that large, but there were plenty of people to drink from around the area.

The first two performances were to be as expected. No one got a limb bitten off by the Wolf Man and no one got bitten by Madam Octa either! On the third night, however, things got a little more interesting. For one, a woman got her arm bitten off by the Wolf Man; and for another, Darren Shan and Steve Leonard attended our performance.

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Okay. So. I hope you liked it even though it's absolutely tiny. The next chapters are longer...hopefully! :D

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	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I was waiting in the wings for my turn. Mr. Tall was standing beside me, also waiting. He would help me with my performance, as he always did. He would also announce me before I appeared on the stage. Hans Hands came walking towards me. He could run on his hands faster than anyone could with his or her legs!

"Larten, looks like you're up next." Hans acknowledged me. Then he walked out of my sight before I could answer. Mr. Tall was announcing me to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our next act is another unique and perplexing one. It can also be quite dangerous, so I ask that you make no noise and do not clap until you are told it is safe." He waited for everyone to quiet down before continuing. He walked off the stage and then softly shouted, "Mr. Crepsley and Madam Octa!"

I slowly walked onto the stage in my circus uniform and placed Madam Octa's cage on a table that was previously set there. When I finished with that I turned and bowed to the crowd, smiling as I went. Whilst I explained the first part of my act, I noticed two boys sitting two rows back from the front. Odd, I thought, children usually do not come to these shows. We only hand out fliers to adults.

While I was explaining I noticed that the darker haired boy was staring at the lighter haired one. The latter was staring at me like I was a ghost. He had gasped when he saw me.

"It is not true that all tarantulas are poisonous," I continued. The darker haired boy's head swung to look at me. "Most are as harmless as the spiders you find anywhere in the world. And those which _are_ poisonous normally only have enough poison in them to kill very small creatures.

"But some are deadly! Some can kill a man with one bite. They are rare, and only found in extremely remote areas, but they do exist.

"I have one such spider," I concluded. Then I opened the door of Madam Octa's cage and let her out. For a few seconds she did not respond, then she slowly crawled out from her cage.

Madam Octa crouched on her eight legs, waiting for my order. "Madam Octa has been with me for several years. She lives far longer than ordinary spiders. The monk who sold her to me said some of her kind live to be twenty or thirty years old. She is an incredible creature, both poisonous and intelligent."

While I spoke, two Little People led a goat onto the stage and tied it to the table. Madam Octa took notice of it right away and started crawling towards it. She stopped at the edge of the little table and waited. I pulled the small tin flute from my pants pockets and put it to my lips. I played some quick notes and sent a mental message to Madam Octa. _Attack the goat_. She jolted into action. Her spindly legs pushed her through the air and onto the neck of the goat.

Her initial bite did not kill it, but would paralyze it. I explained this to the onlookers. The dark haired boy was staring at Madam Octa in amazement.

Then Madam Octa started toward the front of the stage. The people in the front were alarmed at being so close to such a poisonous spider and immediately started jumping from their seats.

"Do not move! Remember your earlier warning: a sudden noise could mean death!" I warned them in a commanding tone. They remained tense, but stopped moving. I had Madam Octa get up on her hind legs then turn around and climb up one leg of the table. "You will be safe now. But please, do not make any loud noises, because if you do, she might come after _me._" I pretended to look frightened. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I put the flute back to my mouth and sent Madam Octa through her paces.

When it was time to spin a web over my mouth, Mr. Tall came in with another flute. He was not as good as I am, but he got the job done. Once I had finished chewing the spider web, and put Madam Octa back in her cage, I bowed deeply to the crowd and departed.

The two boys were both staring at me, though with completely different expressions. The dark haired boy was smiling brighter than the sun, and he was clapping loudly. The lighter haired boy, however, was looking at me with a deep concentration. He, too, was smiling, but more in a smirking way.

I exited the stage and walked passed Mr. Tall. I nodded at him and continued down into the cellar where I put Madam Octa's cage under a piece of silk, then went back upstairs. It was common practice for the freaks to watch each others performances.

Gertha Teeth was next. Her every sentence ended with an exclamation point (!). To my heightened vampire hearing, it was very uncomfortable.

After Gertha were the Twisting Twins, Sive and Seersa. They were wonderful contortionists. They twisted and turned in ways I could never imagine doing. At the end of Sive and Seersa's performance, Mr. Tall bid the audience good night. However, they got a shock when Evra, our snake-boy, came with his snake as the last performance of the night.

When all the people had left the auditorium, I stuck around. I had a feeling I might be seeing one of those two boys again soon. And I did. The light haired boy was back within ten minutes. He looked around for a second, then stood in his place. I dropped from my spot on the ceiling and said, "Are you looking for me?"

The boy jumped a foot in the air. I could see the boy's friend crouching on the balcony, though I knew the light haired boy did not.

"I saw you watching me, you gasped aloud when you first saw me. Why?" I asked.

"B-b-b-because I kn-know who you a-are," the boy stuttered. He sounded to be about middle school age.

"I am Larten Crepsley," I replied.

"No, I know who you _really_ are."

"Oh? Tell me, little boy, who am I, _really?_" I sneered at him.

"Your name is Vur Horston. _You're a vampire._" My. Jaw. Dropped. How in the world did this little kid know my name? I had been under the name Larten Crepsley for several years now. How could this boy _possibly_ know my name?

I smirked at the boy, trying to hide my shock. "So, I have been discovered. I should not be surprised. It had to happen eventually. Tell me, boy, who sent you?"

"Nobody," the boy replied.

"Do not play games with me, tell me who sent you!"

The boy cowered back a little bit. "N-no one! I came by myself. I found a picture of you and some girl in one of my vampire books."

"A picture?" I asked, suspicious.

"A painting," he corrected, "it was in 1903. You and the woman were going to be married, but she found out you were a vampire and dumped you."

"A good a reason as any," I smiled. "Her friends thought she was just trying to make herself look better. They thought it was just a story she made up."

"But it wasn't a story, was it?" the boy asked, scared.

"No, but it might have been better for you if it had been!" I put a ferocious look on my face and growled.

"Y-you won't hurt me." he stuttered.

"Oh? And why not?" I asked.

"B-because. My friend. I told him all about you. He'd report you to the police." I could tell he was lying. The way his dark haired friend had looked when he announced I was a vampire was enough to tell me that. I went along with his words anyway.

"Children! I hate children! Always snooping around in things they should not! What is it you want? Money? Jewels? The rights to publish my story?" This was quite entertaining. Though the boy was getting on my nerves.

"I want to be like you. I want to join you." he stated.

"What do you mean, boy?"

"I want to become a vampire."

His words echoed in my head. What a stupid child. Being a vampire is not all fun and games. It is lonely. It is depressing. No friends, no family. Nothing.

"You are crazy to think you would want such a thing! You cannot have friends, you cannot have a family. Besides, I would be murdered by the Vampire Generals!"

"What are the Vampire Generals?" the boy asked.

"Never you mind. The point is, it simply cannot be done. It causes too many problems."

"So don't change me right away! Make me a half-vampire! I'll be your assistant! Please! I'll do anything!" the child begged. He obviously wanted this badly, even though he most likely did not know much about being a vampire. I thought about this slowly.

"Why? Why do you want to be a vampire? It is lonely. You would have to leave your friends and your parents."

"I don't care! My dad left when I was little, and my mom doesn't care what I do!" he yelled at me.

"What about your friends? Would you not miss them?" I questioned softly.

"My friends? I don't care. I want to be a vampire more than I care about them!" The boy's dark haired friend looked like he _really_ wanted to say something, but he wisely kept his mouth shut and didn't alert the other boy to his presence.

That gave me an idea to get the kid off my back. "What about the boy you came with tonight? Would you miss him?"

"Darren? Yes, I suppose I would miss him, more than any of the others. But I still don't care. Anything to join you, please!" So Darren was the dark haired boy's name. Wonderful. But how cruel would you have to be to leave your friends and say you don't care about them, right in front of one?

"Very well," I agreed. "I will have to test your blood first, come here." His eyes were bright as he walked towards me. The one on the balcony, Darren, was fighting not to say something.

The boy stopped in front of me. "Give me your hand," I said. He did. I pricked him with one of my sharp fingernails and brought his hand to my mouth. I sucked some blood from him and rolled it around in my mouth. It tasted bad. Like evil. This boy would never, ever become a vampire if I could help it! I spat out his blood and wiped it out first with my fingers, then with a napkin from one of my pockets.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked, rubbing his finger.

"Your blood tastes of evil! You will never become a vampire! We are not demonic killers, we respect life. You only want to destroy life and hurt people!"

"That's a lie! You take that back! My blood isn't evil!" the boy ran at me and threw his fist forward, towards my face. I dodged it easily.

"It is no use. Your blood is bad. Go home, get on with your life. Forget this far off fantasy of yours."

The boy was close to tears now. "I'll never forget this! One day, I'll become a vampire hunter! And I'll find you and kill you for denying me!" Then he ran away. I continued spitting out the boy's disgusting blood. I noticed that the other boy, Darren, was still on the balcony. His eyes were wide and shocked.

"Children!" I spat, continuing to wipe blood out of my mouth, I walked away.

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Yay! Chapter 1! Go me. Not really. XD Well, hope you liked. ^^

Read and Review! As stated in the summary, flames will be used to roast marshmallows.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next few days were dull. We were to rest for a few more days before moving on again. I still could not get that stupid boy and his friend, _Darren_, out of my mind. What would drive a young man to abandon his friends and family for a life of solitude? Very odd, if you ask me.

Monday night rolled by. I went for a hunt that night. Very pretty woman she was too. I went to check on Madam Octa before I slid into my coffin. The sounds of the day were muted by my coffin and by the earth walls surrounding me. The rest of the Cirque were already fast asleep, but would be awake in a few short hours.

It was around 5 o'clock in the morning when I sensed a disturbance. I heard light footsteps and nervous breathing from down the hall. It was around where Evra was sleeping, but I knew he would not be awake for some time. He usually sleeps late, typical teenage behavior I assume. No, the sounds were definitely not coming from Evra, or anyone else in the Cirque for that matter.

The footsteps were coming closer to my coffin and Madam Octa's cage. They stopped about three feet away. I was quite certain this was a young child. I heard the squeak of the handle on Madam Octa's cage, then the soft fluttering of a paper being put down. Hmm...So we have a thief in our midst, do we?

Retreating footsteps sounded through the echo-y halls of the cellar. I knew Madam Octa was gone—I could not feel her presence—I also knew that I would have some tracking to do tomorrow night. This thief would not go unpunished!

I fell asleep soon afterward. The day was so long at the moment. The night hours were getting longer, but not by much. Once nighttime hit, I sprung out of my coffin and looked at the place Madam Octa used to be. In place of her cage was a note, it read:

Mr. Crepsley,

I know who and what you are. I have taken Madam Octa and am keeping her. Do not come looking for her. Do not come back to this town. If you do, I will tell everyone that you are a vampire and you will be hunted down and killed. I am not Steve. Steve knows nothing about this. I will take good care of the spider.

There was no signature. Steve, who is Steve? I did not remember ever knowing a Steve before. But maybe—then a conversation I had heard came back to me. Steve was the stupid boy who wanted to be a vampire! I had heard Darren talking to the boy before I left the stage! Of course! Darren had heard the whole conversation between Steve and I, so he knew the whole thing! I smirked. This Darren boy would not be getting away with stealing Madam Octa. It would not be hard to track him down.

After smelling the scent left on the note, I started off towards town. This would be as easy as finding a needle in a haystack!

The town was quiet. Hardly any cars were on the roads at this time of night. I was staring up at a house. It was the home of four people: a father, a mother, a young boy, and an even younger girl. The boy was the one I wanted. He had stolen my spider, and now he was going to pay. I zeroed in on one of the windows. I could see clearly into the room and it was definitely the room of a middle school aged boy.

Walking up to the side of the house, I pressed my fingertips onto the brick. Then I shoved my nails through it. The brick would hold my weight just fine. I started climbing up then hopped onto the window sill. The window was locked so I quickly undid the lock and stepped inside the room. I could sense Madam Octa in the closet, and the boy in the bed.

He was asleep, though it was not a very deep one. I stood over him and examined his face. His cheeks were ever so slightly chubby. His dark, black hair was falling in his face and he had a cross clenched in his hand. Ha! Like that would do him any good! Crosses and holy water did just about as much damage as would a peanut!

I leaned over him, he stirred in his sleep. Then I thought, _what kind of boy would steal from a vampire?_ Obviously this boy was worth more study. Punishment would have to wait. Any boy who _wanted_ to steal Madam Octa was more than a little insane. _So, I will watch him. Then see if his life is worth sparing._

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Okay! This is one of my shorter chapters in this story, so...sorry. That's just how it is!

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	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I walked back to the old theater the Cirque was currently camped in and headed toward Mr. Tall's van. I needed to speak with him about staying here for a little while. I was in front of his van when the door swung open. Mr. Tall stood looking down at me.

"Good morning, Larten." he said. His black eyes stared at me with the infinite wisdom I had come to expect from him.

"To you as well, Hibernius. I would wish to speak with you, if it is convenient." I asked. Hibernius nodded and allowed me inside.

Mr. Tall's van was enormous. It wasn't tall enough for Hibernius—I hardly think anything is—but it was still big. He had Cirque du Freak posters adorning the walls. Some were from 100 years ago! Even_ I_ wasn't with the Cirque back then! Mind you I was still learning with Seba Nile, so I had a reason.

"Hibernius, I would like to stay here for awhile longer."

"I know, Larten. But we—the Cirque—cannot. We have been here long enough. You will have to be on your own for a little while."

"That is fine. I can find you again, if I need to."

"Very well. Would you like us to keep your coffin with us?" Mr. Tall asked. Whenever I decided to part with the Cirque they would take care of my coffin for me. It was very nice of them to do so, and I greatly appreciated it.

"If you would, I would be most grateful. Thank you." I answered.

"All right. Well, we should be getting off now. We had better get a head start. I plan to get pretty far away from here."

I thanked him once more and headed to my coffin to put together my possessions. There weren't many so it took relatively little time. I just needed the pots Evanna gave me and my clothes. I helped the Cirque get their things together, then watched as they left. I had a feeling it would not be long before I was with them again.

The sun was rising rapidly and as I no longer had my coffin to go to, I found the softest place in the old theater and lied down for the day.

When I awoke the sun was setting. It was around 8 o'clock in the evening and I was particularly ravenous. Not for blood, but for normal food. I set about cooking. The fire needed to be out in the open so I headed outside. After I had finished my meal—a kind of stew—I put away my pots and snuffed out the fire.

I was originally going to go straight to the boy's house, but I knew it would be too early for that. Everyone would still be awake at that point, so I will have to wait until nine or ten. I passed the hours by playing cards with myself.

My inner vampire knew it was ten. Do not ask me how, but I knew. I shuffled the cards together and put them away. I flitted to the boy's house and climbed the wall to Darren's window. I listened for his slow breathing for a moment, then opened the window and stepped in. The silly boy was still holding a cross tightly in his hand! How useless!

First, I checked on Madam Octa. She was in the closet and fast asleep. Or that is what it looked like, anyway. You could never really tell with Madam Octa. She could just be hungry for all I know. It is odd, because I have been with Madam Octa many years and yet I was still learning things about her!

Shutting the closet door, I walked over to the boy's bed. His black hair was shining in the light of the full moon. I was tempted to crush the cross in his hand to little bits, but then I thought that that would alert him to someone having been in his room. Instead I looked around, hoping to find clues about what kind of child he was. I spotted a pair of well-worn soccer cleats and a poster of a famous soccer player. Hmm, kid must like soccer.

I saw his book bag lying in a corner and strode over to it. I pulled out his binder and a very heavy book. It was such a shame that I couldn't read, otherwise I'd curse whatever subject the heavy book was for. Who would want to haul this brick-like thing around? Especially if they were human?

Luckily, I new just the basics of reading. I could read my name and write it, so reading Darren's full name shouldn't be too hard. I glanced at one of the papers in his binder and spotted some words at the top of the page. It read: DARREN SHAN. Now I know his last name.

I put his things back in his bag then wandered back to over to his bed. On his bedside table was a lamp, a glass of water, a soccer trophy, and the tin whistle I used to control Madam Octa during my performances. At least he hadn't lost it already!

Darren had a desk on the opposite side of his bedroom. I was standing in front of it in a second. It had a few pictures of his parents and little sister sitting on the shelves. There were also pictures of him as a young boy, and him and his friend Steve. Darren was smiling in every single one of them.

I stayed in his room all night, just studying him and his room. I found that Darren has a thing for soccer. He had several trophies in his closet, and he also had his first pair of cleats. Now that is dedicated!

_When the boy's alarm clock read 5:00 I headed back to the theater. I did not want to run the risk of him waking up and finding me there. The theater was cold when I got back, but thanks to my vampireness I kept warm enough. I then wrapped up for another day sleeping._

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This one is just slightly longer than the last one...by about 200 words. XD

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	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next few days were the same as the first two. Go to the boy's house at ten, come back at five. Try to learn anything new about him. All that I had learned was that he liked soccer, he and Steve are best friends, he gets good grades, he loves him family a lot, and he is absolutely obsessed with spiders. That would explain why he stole Madam Octa!

I could tell that Darren was getting more skilled at controlling Madam Octa. Sometimes if I went early enough to watch him, I could hear him playing the flute. It did not take a genius to figure out what he was doing.

It has been at least two weeks since Darren stole Madam Octa. He was definitely very good with spiders and I could tell he would make good on his word to take care of her. Honestly, I wished Madam Octa would just bite him soon so I could leave the horrible theater and return to the Cirque.

But no matter how hard I thought about how much I wanted to kill this boy, the same thought always was in the back of my mind. _He would make a fine apprentice._ He had the spirit, the smarts, the strength to pull through. In short, everything a vampire could want in an apprentice! I have no idea why I thought about him as an apprentice. I had told Seba that I would never ever take on one, but here I was thinking about having one! I could be so hypocritical some times.

One night all my watching came to an end. Darren's friend, Steve, had come to visit. I only knew this because when I came at my usual time to watch Darren again, I found him awake and standing over the still body of his friend. I knew immediately that they had lost control of Madam Octa and that she had bitten him.

Darren watched his friend for a moment, then spoke to his sister who was also in the room. They were discussing what they should do. The little girl thought it would be best to get their mother while Darren thought that if they left it long enough, Steve would get better. I completely disagreed with Darren and was on the side of his sister. Leaving him would only make it worse. Only one thing would save Steve now, and that something was inside my coat pocket at that precise moment. The antidote to Madam Octa's poison.

Eventually Darren and his little sister agreed to get their mom. Soon Steve was hauled into an ambulance and driven to the hospital at top speed. I knew that no doctor would be able to save him, but it was a good try anyway.

I watched as Darren and his family rushed to the hospital to see Steve. I followed them for a little while before I decided to go back to their house. I wanted to see what Darren would do with Madam Octa now that she had bitten his best friend. Hopefully he would not want her anymore, and would leave her somewhere easy for me to get her back.

Car lights swung around as the car turned onto the driveway and stopped. I hid in the shadows so as not to be seen by any human eyes. They need not know that I had been here every night for two weeks straight.

Everyone headed to their rooms to think over what had happened that night. Though Darren, unlike everybody else, was very angry. He picked up Madam Octa's cage and started calling her every bad name under the moon! I was getting very angry at him for badmouthing my spider, then I saw him start shaking the cage. Madam Octa was holding on for dear life! Darren started turning in circles, trying to make Madam Octa lose her grip. Finally he got so frustrated that he threw Madam Octa's cage. I do not think he knew he had let go at a very bad moment until Madam Octa's cage flew through the open window!

I watched as her cage sailed through the air, and I watched as Darren ran to the window to find where the cage had landed. I think he was worried she might bite someone else. I could see where the cage was going to land, and I stuck my hand out in just the right spot. Madam Octa's cage landed lightly in my outstretched hand. I shook her cage gently to make sure she was alright, then I looked up at Darren. His eyes were huge from the shock of seeing me here. He was under the impression that I had left town! I simply smiled at him evilly, then turned and walked into the gloom.

The way back to the theater was uneventful. Madam Octa was showing images in my head of what she had done while she was away from me. Turns out that she really enjoys pizza! She also really liked Darren as a master. She had fond memories of their short time together.

When I got back to my temporary home, I set Madam Octa's cage on the little table by where I was sleeping. She got settled down and fell asleep after I had fed her a jar of bugs. I lighted a few candles around the table on the stage, then got out my now well used pack of cards. I sat and waited for Darren as I knew he would come and demand to have an antidote.

It took a few hours, but eventually I heard the tell-tale footsteps on the wood flooring of the theater. They were slow, obviously he could not see very well. I continued playing my one-man card game.

Five minutes later Darren Shan shuffled into the room. He looked scared and cold. He walked slowly forward. I could see he had something in his hands, but I could not see clearly enough to make out what it was.

"Good morning, Master Shan," I said simply. He looked at me with wide eyes. I did not look up from my card game.

"It's not morning, it's the middle of the night." Darren said back.

"To me, that is morning." I explained. I finally looked up at him and grinned. Darren stared at my teeth.

"You've been waiting for me, haven't you?" he asked. He looked scared.

"Yes." I nodded at him.

"How long have you known where Madam Octa was?" He questioned. I smiled again.

"I found her the night you stole her," I said.

"Why didn't you take her then?

I shrugged. "I was going to, but I got to thinking about the sort of boy who would dare steal from a vampire, and I decided you might be worth further study." I explained.

"Why?" he asked. His legs were shaking badly.

"Why indeed?" I mocked him. I snapped my fingers and gathered the cards at vampire speed. I put them away then cracked my knuckles. "So tell me , Darren Shan, why have you come? Is it to steal from me again? Do you still desire Madam Octa?"

Darren shook his head furiously. "I never want to see that monster again!" he shouted.

I laughed at him. "She will be so sad to hear that," I said.

"Don't make fun of me," he warned. "I don't like being teased."

"No? And what will you do if I continue?" I jeered.

He held out the things in his had. It was a cross and holy water! Ha ha! "I'll strike you with these!" he roared. The look on his face told me he expected me to be frightened out of my wits. I smiled and snapped my fingers again. Now the cross and holy water were in _my_ hands. I studied them for a moment, then crushed the cross into a tiny ball and drank the water.

"You know what I love? I love people who watch lots of horror movies and read horror books. Because they believe what they read and hear, and come packing silly things like crosses and holy water, instead of weapons that could do real damage, like guns and hand grenades."

He was definitely frightened now. "You mean...crosses don't...hurt you?" he stammered.

"Why should they?"

"Because you're...evil," he said.

"Am I?" I asked.

"Yes, you must be. You're a vampire. Vampires are evil." How mistaken he was! Vampeneze are more evil than vampires are. I would have to set this boy straight.

"You should not believe everything you are told," I said. "It is true that our appetites are rather exotic. But just because we drink blood does not mean that we are evil. Are vampire bats evil when they drink the blood of cows and horses?"

"No, but that's different. They're animals."

"Humans are animals, too," I explained to him. "If a vampire kills a human, then yes, he is evil. But one who just takes a little blood to fill his rumbling belly...where is the harm in that?"

Darren had no answer to that. He was scared and—to him—defenseless.

"I see you are not in the mod for a debate," I observed. "Very well. I will save the speeches for another time. So tell me, Darren Shan: what is it you want if not my spider?"

"She bit Steve Leonard." He sounded like this should explain everything.

"The one known as Steve Leopard," I said, nodding. "A nasty business. Still, little boys who play with things they do not understand can hardly complain if—"

"I want you to make him better!" He yelled, interrupting my words.

"Me?" I acted surprised. "But I am not a doctor. I am not a specialist. I am just a circus performer. A freak. Remember?"

"No, you're more. I know you can save him. I know you have the power." At least the boy knew who was in command of this situation.

"Maybe," I stated. "Madam Octa's bite is deadly, but for every poison there exists an antidote. Maybe I do have the cure. Maybe I have a bottle of serum that will restore you friend's natural physical functions." I was hoping to get him into a corner. That way I might get him to become my assistant, even if he did not want to.

"Yes! I knew it! I knew it! I—"

I cut him off by raising one of my long fingers to silence him. "But maybe it is a small bottle. Maybe there is only a tiny amount of serum. Maybe it is very precious. Maybe I want to save if for a real emergency, in case Madam Octa ever bits _me_. Maybe I do not want to waste it on an evil little brat."

His voice softened. "No, you have to give it to me. You have to use it on Steve. He's dying. You can't let him die!"

"I most certainly can." _And probably will_, I thought to myself. I laughed again. "What is your friend to me? You heard him the night he was here: he said he would become a vampire hunter when he grew up!"

"He didn't mean it!" Darren gasped. "He only said that because he was angry." I could see Darren was getting desperate, clutching at straws.

"Perhaps," I mused. I scratched my scar and rubbed my chin. "But again, I ask: why should I save Steve Leopard? The serum was expensive and cannot be replaced."

"I can pay for it!" That was exactly what I had been waiting for. I hunched forward and smiled.

"Pay for it? But you are only a boy. You cannot possibly have enough money to by the cure." Come on boy, say what I want you to. Say you will do anything to get the cure!

"I'll pay in small amounts!" he promised. "Every week for fifty years, or as long s you want. I'll get a job when I grow up and give you all my money. I swear." Oh, he was definitely getting close to saying the words I wanted him to! I shook my head at his offer.

I spoke softly, "No. Your money does not interest me."

"What _does_ interest you? I'm sure you have a price. That's why you waited for me, isn't it?" He is a very smart boy.

"You are a clever young man," I said. "I knew that when I woke up to find my spider gone and your note in her place. I said to myself, 'Larten, there goes a most remarkable child, a true prodigy. There goes a boy who is going places.'"

"Quit with the bull and tell me what you want," he quipped.

I laughed at him again, then got serious. "You remember what Steve Leopard and I talked about?"

"Of course." Oh, good. At least he remembered! "He wanted to become a vampire. You said he was too young, so he said he'd become your assistant. That was all right by you, but then you found out he was evil, so you said no."

"That about sums it up," I agreed. "Except, if you recall, I was not too keen on the idea of an assistant. They can be useful but also a burden."

"Where's all this leading?" he asked, cautiously.

"I have had a rethink since then. I decided it might not be such a bad thing after all, especially now that I have been separated from the Cirque Du Freak and will have to fend for myself. An assistant could be just what the witch doctor ordered." I smiled at my pun.

His eyebrows pulled together. "You mean you'll let Steve become your assistant now?  
"Heavens, no!" I yelled. "That monster?" There is no telling what he will do as he matures. No, Darren Shan, I do not want Steve Leopard to be my assistant." I pointed at him again, and I could see intuition flash in his eyes.

_I was about to speak, but he beat me to the punch. "You want me!" he yelped. I smiled darkly at him to tell him he was right._

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Yay! Longest chapter yet! n.n

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	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"You're crazy!" he stumbled backward as he yelled at me. "There's no way I'd become your assistant! You must be mad to even thing such a thing!" Mad? No. Smart? Yes.

I shrugged at him. "Then Steve Leopard dies," I stated simply. Indecision was evident in his eyes. He stopped retreating.

"Please, there must be another way!" he begged.

"The issue is not open to debate," I growled. "If you wish to save your friend, you must join me. If you refuse, we have nothing further to discuss."

"What if I—" he started. I cut him off.

"Do not waste my time!" I snapped at the boy, pounding my fist on the table. "I have lived in this dirty hole for two weeks, putting up with fleas and cockroaches and lice. If you are not interested in my offer, say so and I will leave. But do not waste my time with other options, because there are none." I had stayed here long enough, and I was ready to leave _now_.  
Darren nodded slowly and took a few steps toward me. "Tell me more about being a vampire's assistant," he said uncertainly.

I grinned. I had this conversation just where I wanted it. "You will be my traveling companion. You will travel with me across the world. You will be my eyes and hands during the day. You will guard me while I sleep. You will find food for me if it is scarce. You will take my clothes to the laundry." I smiled at that one. "You will polish my shoes. You will look after Madam Octa. In short, you will see to my every need. In return, I will teach you the ways of the vampires." I hope he did not notice that I spoke as if he already was my assistant!

"Do I _have_ to become a vampire?" He still seemed uncertain.

"Eventually. At first you will only have some vampire powers. I will make you a half-vampire. That means you will be able to move about during the day. You will not need much blood to keep you satisfied. You will have certain powers but not all. And you will only age at a fifth the regular rate, instead of the full vampire's tenth."

"What does that mean?" He questioned, confused.

"Vampires do not live forever, but we do live far longer than humans. We age at about one-tenth the regular rate. Which means, for every ten years that pass, we age one. As a half-vampire, you will age one year for every five." I explained. I think he was really considering my offer!

"You mean, for every five years that pass, I'll only be one year older?"

"That is right."

"I dunno," he muttered. "It sounds sketchy to me."

"It is your choice," I said. "I cannot force you to become my assistant. If you decide it is not to your liking, you are free to leave."

"But Steve will die if I do that!" he cried at me.

"Yes. It is your assistance or his life."

"That's not much of a choice," Darren grumbled.

"No," I admitted, "it is not. But it is the only one I offer. Do you accept?"

I watched him thing it over. He was debating whether to run or accept my offer. Then he reached his decision.

"Okay," he said, resigned. "I don't like it, but my hands are tied. I just want you to know this: if I ever get the chance to betray you, I will. If the opportunity arises to pay you back, I'll take it. You'll never be able to trust me." he promised.

"Fair enough," I said. I figured it would be years before that happened. He'd need me to teach him, and that could take a very long time.

"I mean it," he warned.

"I know you do. That is why I want you. A vampire's assistant must have spirit. Your fighting quality is exactly what drew me to you. You will be a dangerous lad to have around, I am sure, but in a fight, when the chips are down, I am just as sure you will be a worthy ally."

He breathed deeply. "How do we do it?"

I stood from my chair and pushed the table away from the center of the stage. Walking over to him, I realized that he is _very_ short! He wrinkled his nose at some smell he smelt. Might have been my smell, but I could not tell.

I showed him the back of my right hand. He stared at my nails for a second. I brought up my left hand and cut open my fingertips. I did the same with both hands. I winced when my nails broke the skin. "Lift your hands," I grunted. Darren was staring at the blood dripping from my fingers and did not obey my command. "Now!" I yelled at him and grabbed his hands from where they were hanging from his sides. My fingernails easily pierced the skin on his fingers.

He cried out in pain and stepped back, tucking his hands to his sides. He rubbed his fingers against his jacket.

"Do not be such a baby," I mocked him. I tugged his hands free from under his arms.

"It hurts!" he roared at me. He was glaring.

"Of course it does." I laughed. "It hurt me too. Did you think becoming a vampire was easy? Get used to the pain. Much of it lies ahead."

I put some of his little fingers in my mouth and sucked on them. The blood flowed into my mouth and I pulled out his fingers. I swished the blood around then swallowed, nodding. He had very good blood. "It is good blood, we can proceed."

I made sure his hands were in front of him, then pressed my fingertips to his. Wound to wound. At first nothing happened, then the gushing feeling started. His blood was moving through my body as mine was flowing through his. Darren's face screwed up in a weird expression. He looked thoroughly grossed out.

When the blood reached my heart I had beads of sweat on my forehead, and I was gritting my teeth. Finally his blood went back into his body, I held the contact for a few short seconds, then broke away from him with a shout. Darren fell on his butt and looked dizzy and sick.

"Give me your fingers," I ordered him. He looked at me while I licked my fingers. "My spit will heal the wounds. You will lose all your blood and die otherwise."

He looked at his blood soaked hands then stretched them towards me. I put them in my mouth again and licked where the cuts were. I gave him back his hands and handed him an old rag I had lying around. He wiped off the blood on it. He looked at the ten little scars on his fingers.

"That is how you recognize a vampire," I told him. "There are other ways to change a human, but the fingers are the simplest and least painful method."

"Is that it? Am I a half-vampire now?" he asked.

"Yes." I said simply.

"I don't feel any different." He was thoroughly confused. I could understand, that is how I felt when I was first changed.

"It will take a few days for the effects to become apparent," I explained. "There is always a period of adjustment. The shock would be too great otherwise."

"How do you become a full vampire?"

"The same way, only you stay joined longer, so more of the vampires blood enters your body."

"What will I be able to do with my new powers? Will I be able to change into a bat?"

I burst out laughing! A bat? What kind of BS are they telling these kids now-a-days? Ha ha ha! "A bat!" I shrieked. "You do not believe those silly stories, do you? How on Earth could somebody the size of you or I turn into a tiny flying rat? Use your brain, boy. We can no more turn into bats, rats, or fog than we can turn into ships, planes, or monkeys!"

"So what can we do?" he asked. He looked irritated at being made fun of again.

_I scratched my chin. "There is to much to explain right now. We must tend to your friend. If he does not get the antidote before tomorrow morning, the serum will not work. Besides, we have plenty of time to discuss secret powers." I grinned. "You could say we have all the time in the world."_

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Not as long as chapter 4, but still pretty decent! :D Enjoy!

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	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I led the way back out of the theater. Darren seemed more sure of where his feet were falling than when I had listened to him shuffling along when he first came here. I pinned it to his now being a half-vampire. I'm sure he just thought it was because he was used to the dark now.

When we got outside I looked around. The moon was shining above and lightening our path. I told him to get on my back. "Keep your arms wrapped around my neck. Do not let go or make any sudden movements. We would not want you to fall off."

While he was hopping up, he looked down at my slippers. He looked confused, but did not say anything. I was wearing them because I would have to take them off to climb up the hospital wall. And because I thought they were awesome. As soon as Darren was secure I took off. I started gathering speed, then slipped into flitting speed. Darren did not notice anything at first, but he eventually realized we were going extremely fast.

We arrived at the hospital in a few minutes. "How did you do that?" he asked, sliding off my back.

"Speed is relative." I said evasively. We did not have time to discuss that right now. I tugged my cloak tighter around my shoulders then stepped into the shadows. "Which room is your friend in?"

Darren answered quietly. I looked up and counted windows until I found the right one. I told Darren to get on my back again. I walked over to the wall and tested its strength. It would hold us, but we might slip. I told Darren this. I stepped out of my slippers and began climbing.

Climbing the wall was easy. I had done it many times when I was watching Darren. I just had to dig my nails into the brick and haul myself up.

Soon we were at Steve's window. I tried opening it, but it was locked. I unlocked it with a flick of my fingers and stepped into the room. The moment my feet hit the floor Darren slid off my back and hurried to his friend. He looked at Steve worriedly. Steve was hooked up to many machines and he had tubes connecting him to the machines.

"The poison has worked rapidly," I said, looking down at the boy. "We might be too late to save him." Darren's face turned white at this, but I ignored him. I bent over Steve and checked to see if we would be in time to save him. We were. "We are in time." Darren's face brightened considerably. "But it is a good thing you did not wait any longer. A few more hours and he would have been a goner."

"Just get on with it and cure him," he snapped. I reached into one of my pockets and pulled out the little vial. I turned on the bedside lamp so I could see.

"I must be careful, this antidote is almost as lethal as the poison. A couple drops too many and..." I trailed off. I could tell Darren did not want to listen to the rest of the sentence.

I moved Steve's head to one side and told Darren to hold it like that. I made a small cut on Steve's neck and held a finger over it. I took the cork of the bottle off then lifted the bottle to my mouth.

"What are you doing?" Darren asked, confused.

"It must be passed on by mouth. A doctor could inject it but I do not know about needles and the like"

"Is that safe? Won't you pass on germs?"

I grinned at him. "If you want to call a doctor, feel free. Otherwise, have some faith in a man who was doing this long before your grandfather was born." I poured the antidote into my mouth and swished it around. Then I lowered my head to the cut on the boy's neck. Soon the serum was out of my mouth and into the body of Steve.

When I was done I sat back and spat out the last of the serum. I wiped the rest from around my mouth. "I am always afraid of swallowing that stuff by accident. One of the nights, I am going to take a course and learn how to do this the easy way."

Darren was going to reply, but then Steve moved and moaned. "What's happening?" He looked afraid something was going wrong.

"It is all right." I said, putting away the empty bottle. "He was on the brink of death. The journey back is never a pleasant one. He will be in pain for some time, but he will live." I explained.

"Will there be any side effects? He won't be paralyzed from the waist down or anything?"

"No, he will be fine. He will feel a bit stiff and will catch colds very easily, but otherwise he will be the same as he was before."

Steve's eyes opened very quickly and focused on us. He looked puzzled for a moment and he tried to speak, but then he went unconscious again.

"Steve?" Darren called, shaking him. "Steve?"

"That is going to happen a lot, he will be slipping in and out of consciousness all night. By morning he should be awake and by afternoon he will be sitting up and asking for dinner.

"Come, let us go." I continued.

"I want to stick around a while longer, to make sure he recovers," he replied.

"You mean you want to make sure I have not tricked you." I chortled. "We will come back tomorrow and you will see that he is fine. We really must go now. If we stay any—" Just then the door opened and a nurse waltzed in.

"What's going on here?" she yelled, surprised. "Who the hell are—"

I grabbed Steve's bed sheets and threw them at her. She got tangled in them and fell to the ground.

"Come, we have to leave immediately." I hissed at Darren. I held a hand out for him to take. He stared at it then at Steve, then the nurse, then the open door.

"I see," I whispered, lowering my hand. "You are going to go back on our deal." Darren hesitated, then opened his mouth to say something. Then he dashed madly for the door. I did not stop him, I only yelled after him. "Very well. Run, Darren Shan! It will do you no good. You are a creature of the night now. You are one of us! You will be back. You will come crawling on your knees, begging for help. Run, fool, run!" I laughed cruelly at him as he ran away from the room.

I flitted back to the old theater. So I would have to wait a few more days for Darren to come to his senses, big deal. At least I had Madam Octa back! She could help with the fleas, cockroaches, and lice around here.

_I decided to not go watch Darren this time. He would come to me eventually. Once he realizes his situation is hopeless, he will come begging for help. _

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Dang! Another shortie! Ugh...*disgusted with self* -_-

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	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I did not have to wait long for Darren. Two days after he ran from me, he was back. I heard his quick footsteps from a mile away. This town was so quiet that I could here that far! I was waiting for him just inside the door.

"I heard you coming. You lasted longer in the world of humans than I thought." I said.

"I sucked blood from one of my best friends," he told me angrily, "and I almost bit my younger sister."

"You escaped lightly," I said coolly. "Many vampires kill someone close to them before realizing they are doomed."

"There's no way back, is there? No magic potion to make me human again or keep me from attacking people?" he asked sadly.

"The only thing that can stop you now is the good old stake through the heart." I told him. "Very well. I don't like it, but I guess I've got no other choice. I'm yours. I won't run away again. Do with me as you wish." he sighed. I felt a little sorry for him, but nodded at him.

"You probably will not believe this," I started, "but I know what you are going through and I feel sorry for you." I shook my head. "But that is neither here nor there. We have work to do and cannot afford to waste time. Come, Darren Shan," I said, taking his small hand in mine. "We have much to do before you can assume your rightful place as my assistant." I started leading him out.

"Like what?" he asked, innocently.

"First of all, we have to _kill_ _you_!" I said with a grin.

I let Darren have a last weekend to himself and his family. I, meanwhile, was preparing to leave the hell hole I'd been leaving in for the past few weeks. I also kept an eye on Darren to make sure he did not get hurt before he officially becomes my assistant. It would not do good to have him die before he even left this town.

I noticed he went a lot of places during his last weekend. Libraries, museums, that kind of thing. He spent a lot of time with his friends and family. I felt sorry for the boy. I was making him leave the people he loved. But that does not matter. He was mine to deal with now. Why did I even take him on as my assistant? I swore I would never do such a thing!

On the night we were to "kill him", I slipped into his room and shut the closet door after I stepped in. I was listening to him talking to his parents downstairs. He was telling them how much he loved them and saying good night. They said good night back and waited until they thought he was up the stairs. In reality he just waited around the edge of the doorway and listened to them talking.

"What do you think brought that on?" Darren's mother asked.

"Kids," his father snorted. "Who knows how their minds work?"

"There's something up. He's been acting oddly for some time now." Hmm, perceptive.

"Maybe he's got a girlfriend." Darren's father suggested. I nearly laughed out loud at that! How wrong you are Mr. Shan! How wrong you are!

"Maybe..."

I heard Darren's soft footsteps coming up the stairs. He paused before entering his room. Once he closed the door, I stepped out of the closet. I had some things to say about having to stay in his closet!

"It is stuffy in there," I whined. "I feel sorry for Madam Octa, having had to spend so much time in—"

Darren cut me off. "Shut up." he said.

"No need to be rude," I said, affronted. "I was merely making a comment." Darren's back was turned to me, so I couldn't see his emotions.

"Well don't," he sounded angry. "You might not think much of this place but I do. This has been my home, my room, my closet, ever since I can remember. And I'm never going to see it again after tonight. This is my last little while here. So don't bad-mouth it, all right?"

"I am sorry," I told him. Darren looked around the room one last time then sighed. He pulled a bag out from under his bed and handed it to me. "What is this?" I asked, curious.

"Some personal stuff, my diary. A picture of my family. A couple of other things. Nothing that will be missed. Will you watch it for me?"

"Yes," I said simply.

"But only if you promise not to look through it," he said warningly.

"Vampires have no secrets from each other," I told him. Then I looked up at his face and shrugged. "I will not open it," I promised.

"All right," he said, relieved. Maybe I would look through it, just to see what he had. But no, that would be rude and be breaking my promise. "Do you have the potion?" Darren asked. I nodded, took the little bottle out of my coat pocket, then handed it to him. He looked at the contents and swirled it around a little.

I moved behind him and placed my hands and his slender neck. Darren shivered a little.

"You're sure this will work?" he asked, nervous. I had not told him how dangerous this could be, but I did not feel the need to worry him with such things. If he died, it would not matter to much. Or that is what I told myself, anyway.

"Trust me," I assured him.

"I always thought a broken neck meant people couldn't walk or move." he told me. Most people thought that, but it was not completely true.

"No, the bones of the neck do not matter. Paralysis only happens if the spinal cord—a long nerve running down the middle of the neck—breaks. I will be careful not to damage it" I told him.

"Won't the doctors think it's strange?" he asked.

"They will not check, the potion will slow your heart down so much, they will be sure you are dead. They will find the broken neck and put two and two together. If you were older, they might go ahead with an autopsy. But no doctor likes cutting a child open.

"Now, are you totally clear on what is going to happen and how you must act?"

"Yes," he replied.

"There must be no mistakes, if you make just one slip our plans will fall apart." I warned him.

"I'm not a fool! I know what to do!" he nearly yelled at me.

"Then do it," I dared him. He downed the potion angrily. He grimaced and shuddered. His limbs stiffened and seized up. His teeth chattered.

It took around ten minutes for the full effects to take place. After it was finished with its work, Darren was not moving and was hardly breathing at all. I felt his pulse to make sure it was undetectable, then said, "I am going to snap the neck now." I twisted his head to one side very quickly. There was a sickening snap, then Darren's head was lolling around on his shoulders. "There, that should do it. Now I am going to throw you out of the window.

I carried his limp body over to the open window. I stood with him in my arms for a moment, then said quickly, "I have to throw you hard enough to make it look genuine. You might break some bones in the fall. They will start hurting when the potion wears off after a few days but I will fix them up later on. Here we go!" Then I threw him out the window. I watched him sail threw the night and land with a heavy _thud!_ on his back.

I watched at the window until one of the neighbors spotted him. When the neighbor went yelling to the door of the house, I slipped out of the window and passed Darren. I flitted back to the old theater and got my things all together. Now I would have to hunt up a shovel to dig Darren out of his grave with.

I watched the newspapers for the next few days. I saw Darren's obituary appear a few days afterwards. It said he died of a fall from his window in which he broke his neck. Good, no one suspected anything. That was perfect.

I stayed up one day and covered myself in clothes from head to foot. That day I watched as they put Darren's body into a coffin, hauled him into a hearse, and drove him to the graveyard. I did not stay for too long, because I was beginning to get rather uncomfortable, but I did stay long enough to see them lower him into the ground. Then I left to get ready for tonight.

I had everything packed and ready to go. I knew there was a spare shovel in the graveyard's little shack that was filled with gardening tools. Darren's backpack was sitting next to the pile of my things.

I had very quickly looked through it to see what he had, but I did not look in detail at anything in particular. I definitely stayed away from his diary. I did not want to know what he thought about me at the moment, so I left it. He only had a few things. A picture, his diary, some spare underwear, that sort of thing.

Before I knew it—though I know exactly what time it is all the time—it was time to leave the old theater and go dig Darren up. I took his backpack in my hand, swung my stuff on my back, then flitted to the graveyard. I did not want to leave him in there for too long, he might run out of air once his lungs start working again.

Once at the graveyard I put my stuff down, slung Darren's backpack on a nearby grave marker, and started digging the newly overturned earth. I glanced briefly at the headstone. I could not read most of what it said, but I could make out some of it. It said:

DARREN SHAN

MARCH 1, 1987-OCTOBER 30, 2000

That was all I could make out. Partly because of my illiteracy, partly because of the darkness. I continued digging. I made quick work of it. The earth had hardly settled from when they had buried him this morning, so it was easy to dig through. Within fifteen minutes I had reached his coffin. It was kind of eerie, actually. The coffin was a very dark brown, so it was hard to see with the background of even darker dirt.

I rapped my knuckles three times on the wood, then started unscrewing the bolts. It was easy. They were not on as tight as they could be if they had really wanted them tight.

When I pulled the coffin lid open, Darren sat up, coughing, and took in a long, deep breath. His black suit looked pretty good on him, actually. He was staring at the sky like it was the first time he'd seen it in years.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him.

"Dead tired," he answered. I smiled with him at his little joke.

"Stand up so I can examine you," I told him. He winced and groaned when he stood up. I ran my fingers slowly up his back a few times, then moved to his front. I noted when he winced. No broken bones. That was good. "You were lucky. No broken bones. Just a bit of bruising, which will die down after a couple of days."

I clambered out of the grave and held out a hand to help Darren up. He took it and I pulled him up. He was standing stiffly. "I feel like a pincushion that's been squashed," he whined.

"It will take a few days for the aftereffects to pass. But do not worry: you are in good shape. We are lucky they buried you today. If they had waited another day to put you under, you would be feeling much worse."

I jumped back into the grave and shut the coffin. I pulled myself up and grabbed the shovel and started putting all the earth back into the hole.

"Do you want help?" Darren offered.

"No. You would slow me down. Go for a stroll and walk some of the stiffness out of your bones. I will call when I am ready to move on." I ordered him.

"Did you bring my bag?" he asked. I nodded my head at the headstone I had hung his backpack on. He grabbed it and checked inside quickly, then set off walking. He looked around a little bit while he shook his limbs to get the stiffness out.

Soon he was just beyond my sight range, but I did not worry too much about it. He would be able to see fine. I heard a little bit of noise, then an "oof!" from Darren. I think he fell over or something.

After that I thought I heard voices, but that could not be right! No one was around here but Darren and I! I was pretty sure I heard my name a few times. Not just Larten Crepsley, but also Vur Horston.

I let the voices go on for a minute or two, then I could not take it anymore! "Darren, where are you? Darren?" I could not see him anywhere!

"I'm fine!" he called back.

"Where are you?"

"Over here!" He stood up so I could see him. "My legs were weak, so I lay down for a minute."

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he said again. "I'll rest a little longer, then try them again. Give me a shout when you're ready." He sat down again. I had seen the shine of someone's light hair before I looked away again.

Distantly I heard Darren say, "Why did you come here, Steve?" My eyes nearly bugged out of my eye sockets! Steve! What was that psychopath doing here? I listened in on their conversation and learned that Steve had come here to kill me and Darren. Ha! As if he would be able to get anywhere close! I could pull Darren on my back and flit off faster than he could blink!

When Darren came back he did not say anything about Steve. I could tell he was trying to protect his friend, but that does not mean it was a smart idea!

I was smoothing over the earth mound when he stopped by me. He watched me work. Darren looked like he was thinking over something very seriously.

I looked up at him and frowned. "Are you sure you are all right? You seem very uptight." I said, concerned.

"So would you if you'd spent the day in a coffin," he said back. He was evading answering my question, that was obvious. I did not care at the moment. Soon we would be far away from this place.

I still laughed at his ridiculous comment though. "Master Shan, I have spent more time in coffins than many of the truly dead!" I whacked the earth one more time then splintered the shovel to pieces. I tossed the useless pieces away then asked, "Is the stiffness wearing off?"  
"It's better than it was. I wouldn't like to fake my death too often, though." he said, twisting his waist and arms.

"No," I agreed. "Well, hopefully it will not be necessary again. It is a dangerous stunt. Many things can go wrong."

He stared at me angrily. "You told me I'd be safe."

"I lied. The potion sometimes drives its patients too far toward death and they never recover. And I could not be sure they would not perform and autopsy on you. And...Do you want to hear all this?" I was smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

"No. I don't." Darren growled. Then he took a swing at me. I dodged his arm easily enough, and laughed as I did it. "You told me it was safe! You lied!"

"I had to, there was no other way." I explained.

"What if I'd died?" he yelled.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I would be down one assistant. No great loss. I am sure I could have found another." No need to tell him that I probably would never take on another assistant. I do not even know why I took _Darren_ on!

"You...you...Oh!" He kicked at the ground angrily. He looked mad now!

"Are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Give me a minute." He had cooled off a little, but not much. Darren climbed up on one of the taller tombstones and looked out at the town. He looked sad. He took everything in as if it were made of gold.

"You will grow used to leaving after a time." I said sadly. I stood behind him a ways back. "Vampires are always saying good-bye. We never stop anywhere very long. We are forever picking up our roots and moving on to new pastures. It is our way."

"Is the first time the hardest?"

"Yes," I said, nodding. "But it never gets easy."

"How long before I get used to it?" he asked innocently.

"Maybe a few decades, maybe longer." I guessed.

"Can't we ever make friends? Can't we ever have homes or wives or families?"

"No, never."

"Does it get lonely?" Question after question! This might get irritating.

"Terribly so," I admitted. Vampires cannot have children, we can take mates for a time however. Those are not the same as wives or husbands, but it was close.

Darren nodded slowly. "Okay, I'm ready." He grabbed his bag and brushed some dirt off of it.

"You may ride on my back if you wish."

"No, thank you." he said politely. "Maybe later but I'd rather walk the stiffness out of my legs first." Good choice.

"Very well."

He rubbed his stomach and it growled loudly. "I haven't eaten since Sunday. I'm hungry." He informed me.

"Me too," I admitted. I took his tiny hand in my and grinned devilishly at him. "Let us go _eat_."

He took a long breath and nodded nervously. Then he gave my hand a tight squeeze and turned away from the graveyard. Side by side we walked from the graveyard...

_...into the night._

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Longest chapter YET! And longest chapter in the ENTIRE STORY. Cause this is the last chapter...Yeah...I actually had fun writing this. I hope you had fun reading it...meh.

Read and Review! And favorite! And anything else! Just as long as you don't bash on me! XD

Sigh...I have nothing else to upload...DANG IT!


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